Any passengers travelling on the Northern City Line between Finsbury Park and Moorgate on Sunday 9th October are being asked to check before they travel due to testing.
The testing in question will be done on digital signalling, as part of the government funded East Coast Digital Programme, and will see the traditional signals removed from the route and replaced with new, ‘state-of-the-art’ digital signalling technology
Network Rail’s Director of Industry Partnership for Digital Railway, Toufic Machnouk, said:
“This work marks another vital step in the move to digital signalling, with the testing now involving multiple trains at once. We’re making exciting progress towards enabling more reliable journeys through technology.
“I’m sorry for any impact on passengers’ journeys and would ask everybody to check before you travel. Most of our testing is done outside of normal hours but occasionally we need a more extended period to ensure our progress is thorough.”
The new technology sees a new operating system come in, which is linked to a computer screen in the driver’s cab and continuously communicates with each train. This removes reliance on fixed lineside signals as well as reducing delays and providing a enable more reliable services for passengers.
Jenny Saunders, Great Northern and Thameslink Customer Services Director, added:
“I’d like to thank people for their patience and understanding. This vital work will modernize our railway means travel and make it more reliable [sic].
“We’re doing our best to keep disruption to a minimum but if you’re travelling to our stations between Finsbury Park and Moorgate on Sunday, then please plan ahead using National Rail Enquiries’ online journey planner.”
Testing will continue throughout 2022, ensuring that Great Northern’s fleet that is already fitted with the new technology works with the necessary digital infrastructure.
